Reflections of the Past

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra sits in the Winter Hollow with the IV stand and Oliver's book. She's spent the last day reading through the journal to pull information about Oliver from it.


More than a few times while she has been reading, she's looked up at the IV stand, looking at the way it shines. She knows she can get something from it, she just needs to pull it out from the reflection. There is a slight fear in her that she'll mess it up. What if she completely fails? She hasn't used this contract in a very long time.


Setting down the book, she briefly purses her lips before standing up and looking at the IV itself. She adjusts it, placing it in the way it was standing when they found the Wizened.


Taking a deep breath, she concentrates, staring deeply into the reflective pool of the IV where she begins searching for a specific set of images. Anne. She wants to find the time where Anne was there.

Saber Sloth

[Saber Sloth]

Reading the journal Cassandra finds that every page had something written on it. The first 1/4 of it is much as one would expect.

It's beginning is much as she expected. On December 25th, 2016 begins his journal Oliver exhorting Queen Anne's virtue and his honor to accept such a position of her trust. Naming the others trusted with the other houses in the cul-de-sac, each one an Autumn, and each one dedicated as he to the San Francisco's Dread Lady.

Half way through the first quarter, the written month February 20th 2017, there is the arrival of the bloodsuckle, and how each other the other Hollow-Houses and their residents, were felled one, by, one. Devoured and used to nourish the carnivorous plant.

Nearer to the end of that quarter, is March 12rd 2017, has the Ogre questioning. Why, why, why, was he sent here to this Hollow-house to guard a library worth nearly nothing. There was no true arcane texts, or esoteric Contracts sequestered within the labyrinthine shelves.

Then very suddenly, there is a page saying Queen Anne had arrived, leaving Oliver a charge, and that eventually he was to expect guests. Rude guests. It's dated April 1st 2017

Which marks a sudden change is the writing of the rest of the journal. The next entry dated for April 2nd 2017, is Oliver wondering who these guests would be, and how long he would be waiting for them. The next page is an identical entry, so is the page after, and so is the page after that, and the one after that, and so on and so on until the journal is completely filled with the Ogre paused, waiting. Mentally reliving the same day.




Looking at the shine, Cassandra knows that it's a long shot now to find what had happened in that back nook of the library maze when Anne had set up the chair with it's drugged cargo. But the Winter knows she has to try...

Roll for Reflections 1!

[Cassandra Reeding]

Reflections of the Past - 4 Successes

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-12-11 20:19:22	Cassandra Reeding rolls 6 to Reflections 1 Wits + Wyrd (10 Again)	10, 3, 10, 6, 7, 9, 10, 7, 7	4 successes

sorry, didn't realize that I didn't put that in there last night. Thanks!

[Saber Sloth]

Looking at the reflective shine of the poll, Cassandra doesn't see the distant library with Queen Anne hooking the then nameless Buttercup to the IV and trapping her in the chair.

As she feared too much time had passed for that, she does, however see a slim wooden face. A women's face. Peering out from the reflection, with frayed ruby yarn building volume, and flecks of red painted wood shavings, spiralling up and down and all-around, make a riot of red curls. Pulled and styled atop her head. Eyes, bright green, and painted on. Lips, a smear of red lacquer. The wooden features are obviously finely sanded down. Leaving a smooth and worked on perfection. A wooden hand is brought up, an articulated, ball jointed finger taps first on a lip, then onto the reflection. Looking to Cassandra like the women - Queen Anne - was just on the other side of a window, tap, tap, tapping to see if she would get anyone's attention.

Cassandra knows, just as she knows she couldn't get a glimpse of the library maze that too much time had passed, but to see the Wizened Queen's she knew that Queen Anne's reflection must have shown through the poll within the last week...

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra's hands fly to her mouth and from a moment she can feel fear in her bones. Where has this IV been this entire week? Two places. Once at her house early in the week and now at the Winter Hollow. Which means that either Anne was in her home or the Winter Hollow. Neither option bodes well.

This Hollow has wards. What the fuck? Fuck fuck fuck. Am I in danger right now? John? Gerrit? Are they alright? When was the last time they were here? What if- calm down.


She looks closer, trying to identify the features of the background. If it was her own home, there would be a reflection of bookcases or her kitchen depending on where Anne was standing. If it is here, well then it would be the reflection of this living room.


Shit fuck.


It's hard to keep the racing thoughts coming to her mind. All the danger and this instinct to protect. She has people she needs to protect now, and she'd protect them with her life. Yes, with her life.


She considers the other images she can get from the contract. What came just before Anne's face? Would she be able to see the room? Or what about just after? She clearly knows one of them can do what she does, expected it even. How would she know? Fear strikes her again and she can distinctly feel how easy it is to fear the autumn queen, even when she is nowhere to be seen. She wants to see a bright side to this, but until she knows what she's dealing with, there is no bright side in sight.


Another stray thought: What if Anne is a reflections user too? Glimpse would be so easy to use to find information about them.


Another expletive.

[Saber Sloth]

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-12-17 12:06:35	Cassandra Reeding rolls 6 to Int + Occult (10 Again)	2, 3, 2, 8, 5, 8	2 successes

2 suxx

Cassandra studies the Reflection. Works with what she knows and what she can discover, and realizes that the image of the enemy shows a confusion. It seemed that Queen Anne had use the Clause when the IV poll had be safe within the Winter Hollow.

Their Wards are strong. She would not have learned much beyond that fact.

They were still safe.